Reinventing the fight against bacteria, one phage at a time.

March 6, 2026 Seminar - Dr. Alexander Hynes Dr. Alexander Hynes Associate Professor, Medicine, Farncombe Family Chair in Phage Biology, McMaster University PI:  Prof. Marcus Dillon 12 to 1 PM IB 140 & Zoom Title Biasing Bacteriophage Behaviours Abstract Viruses that infect bacteria - bacteriophages - are known for their ability to lyse bacteria. However, this is not the only outcome of phage infection. Temperate phages can enter a lytic or lysogenic cycle - the former leading to lysis, the latter akin to dormancy. These phages are responsible for over 10^23 infections  per second , and >75% bacteria already contain within their genomes at least one dormant phage awaiting the right signal to wake and lyse its host. The decision between lysis and lysogeny is arguably the most important in all of biology. We investigate how to bias this decision to better manipulate bacterial populations. Through high-throughput screens to identify new phage-waking signals, exploiting anti...